This blog was formerly dedicated in 2009 to my Dad who died of Alzheimer's in 2013. It's been three years now...and I find myself missing blogging...so I am re-inventing my blog... because, after all, life is about moving through, and going forward...

Friday, April 16, 2010

Ooooohhhhhh my achin' jaw...

I think I have what they call "a dry socket" from my extraction last Tuesday, the 13th...I followed their instructions to the letter...(although they gave them verbally and did not give me a hand out)...

I had my teeth cleaned two days later...(had to reschedule the cleaning from Tuesday when I had the tooth pulled, due to appointments to show our house, so I had to find a dog sitter for Izzy...)

My mouth was sore at the injection site, but instead of getting better, the pain has spread down closer to my extraction site.  Somewhere, some how, I have lost my "blood clot", hence, the "dry socket".

I don't want to go back to that quack.  He charges for every little thing.  No doubt he will charge for "an emergency treatment".  The LAST THING I want, is for him to give me another injection!!!  I have never had a more uncomfortable experience with an injection!!!  He shocked my tongue twice and vibrated his hand while injecting me, like he was jack hammering!  I thought he was nervous or having a palsy twitch or something.  GAWD!!!  It was wierd!

I am going to try light rinsing with salt water... Man!!, I do NOT WANT to go back to this numb-skull!!!

5 comments:

Mari said...

You poor thing! I've heard that is miserable. Keep up the salt water rinses.
I thought of you yesterday. I had to admit my Dad to a Nursing home. It's only for Rehad, following his total knee, but it was still hard. We had no beds available at our place, so that made things worse.
And you'll never guess what I had trouble with while he was in the hospital - I am his DPOA and am supposed to get the phone calls. They kept calling my sister, who would then have to call me. Sound familiar?

Jeanie said...

OOh, I hope that gets better. Can you go to someone else if you have to go back?

Wander to the Wayside said...

I've had this happen more times than I want to remember, and it is EXCRUTIATING!!! I think it's up there with the pain so many complain of with a kidney stone, except in your jaw. Every move, no matter how slight, ever time you bend over, ANYTHING, sets it off. So I know what you're going thru!

First, don't be too quick to blame the dentist. I don't know which tooth it was, but sometimes that in itself has an influence on what kind of shot they give you and how painful it is. The shaking you're talking about when he gives you the shot is a specific technique they use for some reason only they know! It is a little disconcerting if you've never experienced it.

The pain of the shot itself can be painful for up to two weeks, again depending on which nerve is involved and how many times he had to shoot you (I sometimes used to have numerous shots to be effective for some reason). The best thing you can do is take lots of ibuprofen. You can take up to eight a day to get prescription strength SHORT TERM, depending on what other medications you're on.

The dry socket is something you really need to tell the dentist about. Even if you contacted a new one he would make you come in for a look. What they do is pack the hole with a piece of cotton or gauze soaked with something like orajel. You try to keep it in as the hole itself closes up, and it will start to fall out by itself. If you can stand the initial pain, since this is a weekend you could try this yourself, taking a piece of gauze of gauze or cotton soaked in orajel and stuffing it in the hole with some tweezers or something, until you can get to the dentist Monday.

It's also possible you could call and just tell him you need some vicoden, which he should willingly give you if it's a dry socket, usually a one week supply, or at least a two day supply to get you thru the weekend. In some cases you need an antibiotic, but not always. Like you said, warm salt water but don't swish too hard. Just kind of let it sit there.

The reason I know all this is because I've got upper dentures after years of abcesses and having teeth pulled and finally deciding to just get it over with.

Also, my son-in-law is a dentist, and I was his senior project in medical school - he finished pulling what few teeth I had left and making my dentures.He's out of town today, but I could tell my daughter when you talks to him to ask him for sure what you can do between now and Monday.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Yes, it sounds like you should find a new dentist! Maybe friends or family could recommend someone they like and trust. Hope you feel better soon!

betty said...

ouch!! I know when I had a tooth pulled, dentist said to keep drinking fluids so I wouldn't develop a dry socket; hoping you get relief soon, but definitely I would get it checked out by him or another dentist just to be safe

betty